


The Ghost of Brothers Past

by Chibifukurou



Category: Brothers Bloom (2008)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-24
Updated: 2011-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-28 01:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/302473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibifukurou/pseuds/Chibifukurou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He sees Stephen in everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ghost of Brothers Past

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cosmogyral](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmogyral/gifts).



> This probably isn't as literal as you wanted with the ghosts, but hopefully it fulfills the spirit of your request(no pun intended)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This story was written for personal enjoyment and entertainment purposes.

Bloom and Penelope return home because there isn’t anywhere else to return to.

Suddenly adventures and new experiences don’t seem that important. Not with his brother’s blood drying brown on his sleeve and a few scavenged remains of Bang Bang’s car in the back seat.

This is his life now. Alone...forever. Why had Bloom ever though he wanted out? What had he thought it would get him?

He has love, but what is the point in that if he doesn’t have a script to follow? His brother’s warm words and steadfast belief to fall back on?

Penelope is the one that takes care of things now. She drives them to the a safe port, far away from the Curator, and gets them passage on a ship back to the States. Her mansion is gone, but, as she’d been quick to assure him, that doesn’t mean they have nowhere to go.

The penthouse suite at a nearby hotel is always on reserve for her. For those first few troublesome days when he couldn’t open his mouth to say anything, not without hearing Stephen’s voice echoing in the back of his head, he’d been glad for the hotel. He hadn’t wanted to think about cleaning up after himself or cooking. It had all seemed too much. The draw of the bottle of whiskey that sat behind the suite’s bar had been almost impossible to resist.

Stephen had hated it when he drank. He left the bottle where it was and slept until he felt drunk on it, instead. Now, though, he was slept out and having people dig through his things and wait on him hand and foot grated against every instinct he had.

He only needed Stephen. That was the way it had always been. Now that Stephen was dead, Bloom couldn’t help resenting anyone who tried to take his place, even if it was unintentionally.

“I think I’ll head back to Europe,” he says one day while they are sharing afternoon tea. Penelope has been collecting cultures from around the world in the month since their return to the states. The hotel staff’s reactions had ranged from amused to irate as they’d changed from Italian cooking one day to German the next.

“It is a bit quiet here, isn’t it,” she replies. “I’d been thinking about leaving, but I didn’t want to leave until you were feeling better.”

It takes him longer than it should to sort out what she’s saying. There aren’t any angles to anticipate now. Without a script to follow things are so much harder. “You don’t have to do that, Penelope. Your life is here.” He didn’t want to keep living this lie with her. She deserved better.

“Of course I don’t have to come with you, but I hate moldering away here. There are so many things we could see and do if we were traveling.”

She doesn’t say that it will be grand, or an adventure or anything equally trite. He’s thankful for that.

“Besides, I was thinking that it would be fun to try being a thief with you. It seems like an interesting hobby to have.”

He wants to yell at her that this isn’t a game. That it will get her killed, but she knows that better than he does. Because he’s seen that the proper plans and staying one step ahead can keep you alive for years. The only job she ever worked ended up with half their team dead and Bloom’s heart ripped out. He should put his foot down, but he hears Stephen’s voice whispering that he should keep playing his part. He’s supposed to stay with her. “Are you sure? This isn’t a hobby you can leave behind when you’re done.”

“I’m sure. I’ll find us the perfect job,” she replies.

There is an echo of Stephen in her voice that sends a shiver down his spine, but he can’t say no to her any more than he could say no to his brother. It’s not like the fact that they’re most likely going to die will stop him any more, not when it means that he’ll be with Stephen again.

#

Despite all of Bloom’s dire predictions and worst expectations, the job she comes up with isn’t anything like he’d expect from an amateur. It’s almost like Stephen is pulling the strings from beyond the grave. That’s impossible though.

The mark is an older man, an old rival of Penelope’s father. One who she has been having particular trouble with, since he wants her to marry his eldest son. Which would put him firmly in control of her fortune.

When Penelope calls him to discuss how her mansion ever so mysteriously blew up, and how she badly needs a place to stay, he rushes to the penthouse to speak with her.

With that same frightening similarity to Stephen she lays out Bloom’s part. He’s the jilted lover who wants to get revenge on anybody who he thinks is flirting with Penelope. He blew up the mansion because she had a man in there with her. He was sure of it.

And now here she was with another man. Did she want him to kill this one too; was that her game inviting all these men over to spend time with her?

Bloom’s not particularly good at playing the jilted lover. It had always been one of Stephen’s pet peeves. This time, though, it comes easily. He doesn’t imagine Penelope as a lover, as he has most other times he’s played this part. He’s never cared for a lover enough that it would matter to him if he found out they’d left him for someone else.

She’s started merging with Stephen in his mind though, so instead of thinking about a man taking away his lover, he’s thinking about what he’d have done to the bastards who had touched Stephen. What he’d still like to do if he ever caught up with anyone else who’d been part of that job. The anger wells up automatically after that. Souring his stomach and letting him scream incoherently at this interloper without his usual guilt.

It works like a charm and the man is a blubbering mess within the first five minutes. After ten he’s promised to never have anything to do with Penelope again. He promises. If Bloom will just let him leave.

Bloom does of course, because he knows that this isn’t anyone worth killing. Not in the grand scheme of things. After he’s scrambled away and run from the hotel like the hounds of hell are after him, Bloom collapses next to Penelope and lets her run her fingers through his hair, trying to ignore the fact that he feels better than he has since the moment Bang Bang’s car had exploded right in front of his eyes.

“I’ll make arrangements for us to head back to Europe, tomorrow,” Penelope says, voice light and happy with that edge that always marked Stephen’s voice after a successful job.

“That sounds good,” he replies. Because he’s already lost himself in her. He’s never been good at living his own life. So he’ll live Stephen’s life instead and hope that after she’s had her fun Penelope will help him get his revenge on the bastards who’d killed his brother.

#

End

 


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